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Topeka outlines snow plan, launches public plow-tracking map after recent storm
Summary
Public works staff reviewed Topeka’s winter operations, including pretreatment of 581 lane miles and new public plow-tracking map showing near-real-time plow routes; council members asked about the 6-inch threshold for residential clearing and school coordination.
Tony Shower, deputy director of public works, and Jason Tryon, interim director of public works, briefed the Topeka City Council on the city’s snow-response procedures, saying crews run two 12-hour shifts during events and pretreat bridges, arterials and collector routes when conditions permit.
Shower described the city’s 14 snow zones and said pretreatment covers 581 lane miles; he gave the recent pretreatment example of 5,750 gallons used before the storm. Tryon said the city checks trucks and equipment in September and conducts classroom and hands‑on driving training in late September each year.
Council members pressed staff about the policy to treat residential streets only after 6 inches of accumulation. Tryon said the threshold exists to avoid pushing snow into driveways and to conserve limited resources so arterials and emergency routes—which carry more traffic—receive priority. He added that pretreating too early can create icy mounds when a warm spell follows.
Tryon also said the city coordinates with USD 501 and Metro bus services, providing salt to schools so they can treat around schools and access arterials. To improve transparency, staff announced a new public plow-tracking map available from the city homepage; Tryon said the map shows where plows have driven once active clearing begins and is not intended to show pretreatment activity.
Deputy mayor and council members thanked staff and asked staff to publicize the map and hotline numbers for urgent issues: the call center at 785-368-3111 and the Street Department at (785) 368-3830. The presentation concluded with the council acknowledging the operational constraints and asking staff to add resident-reported “hot spots” to pretreatment lists.
